LETHAL LANDS: A total of 11,108 hectares
of land in Armenia remain mined with explosives,
according to the American specialists Vivian Walker,
the US charge d'affaires in Armenia.

Noyan Tapan reported November7 that the US government
has spent $8.5 million on the humanitarian mine-clearance
program, which is being implemented in Armenia
jointly with the Armenian Defense Ministry.

POVERY REDUCTION: Within the framework of
the credit project on Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRCF), Armenia can receive the recurrent
International Monetary Fund (IMF) credit of about
$14 million, PanARMENIAN.Net reported November
8.

IMF permanent representative in Armenia James
McHugh said the Armenian government fulfilled
one of the key requirements of the PRGF and improved
the level of tax collection in the current year
that should lead to growth of the budget expenses
for the social sphere.

GAS TO EACH HOUSE: The "HayRusGasArd"
Russian-Armenian JSC intends to provide the same
level of natural gas supply to Armenia by 2008
as the country enjoyed during the USSR central
heating times, Azg daily reported November 8.

Currently, the overall figure of the Russian-Armenian
gas company's consumers is 165,000. The company
intends to increase the number of its consumers
to 400,000.

KARABAKH ECONOMY: Officials in Nagorno Karabagh
said that around 803 formerly state-run enterprises
were privatized in the republic between 1998 and
2003 August, Armenpress reported November10.

The privatized companies have created 664 new
jobs and makes only 85 percent of enterprises
projected to be privatized.

TREATMENT IN MOSCOW: Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Markaryan, who has a history of heart
problems left for Moscow November 11 to undergo
medical tests in one of the local clinics there,
the RFE/RL Yerevan bureau reported.

The statement of the Armenian government's press
office said the one-week medical examination will
have a "general" character. The statement
did not specify whether he is suffering from a
particular ailment at the moment. The 52-year-old
premier, who has visible trouble breathing, had
undergone a heart surgery in Yerevan four years
ago and spent about two weeks in France last year
for an intensive cardiac therapy.

FUNDS FOR HIGHWAY: On November 21 the concert
"Road to Future," will be organized
by the Armenia pan-Armenian Fund to raise money
for the construction of the North-South highway
in Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerkir daily reported November
11.

The project started three years ago has already
had a lot of success thanks to generous donations
from Armenians all over the world.
SIAMESE TWINS DIED: Female Siamese twins born
in Yerevan November 12 died the next day, Armifo
reported. It is the second case of the Siamese
twins born in Yerevan this year. Last July doctors
conducted surgery on Siamese-twin girls but the
twins did nor survive. Doctors said that reasons
of the birth of Siamese twins may be either of
genetic nature or as a result of radiation influence.

The rescuers found its wreckage and the body
of its only crew, a first class Russian military
pilot, Kostandin Kardash, 39. A special commission
was set at Russian Air Force headquarters in Moscow,
which is expected to arrive in Armenia today to
investigate the incident.

AWARD FOR GENOCIDE BOOK: A book by historian
Marco Impaglazio "Window to Genocide: Unpublished
Documents on Armenian Massacres, 1915-1916,"
received this year's Minturno national award of
Italy, Yerkir daily reported November 12. The
book that was published by Guerini Publishing
house in 2000, describes the massacres of Diarbekir
and Mardin.

MILITARY COOPERATION: Russia will continue
to deliver weapons and military hardware to Armenia
"on privileged terms" and plans to modernize
its military base there to further strengthen
ties with its main regional ally, said Russian
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov in the end of his
two days visit to Yerevan.

RFE/RL reported November 13 that the Russian
diplomat stated that the ongoing arms supplies,
which have long been protested by neighboring
Azerbaijan, do not threaten regional stability
as they stem from the Russian-led Collective Security
Treaty of several ex-Soviet states, including
Armenia.

NEW US EMBASSY: The construction of a new
building of the US Embassy in Armenia will be
completed in December 2004, Arka reported November
13. The area of the new embassy, located near
the Yerevan artificial lake, is 90,469 square
meters. The territory will comprise a five- floored
building of the Embassy, the office of USAID,
a two-floored building for the Navy and storehouses.

LINCY PROGRAM COMPLETED: The program of building
and reconstructing apartments in Armenia's earthquake
zone with a total budget of $45 million has been
accomplished, Armenpress reported November 13.
The money was part of a $150 million grant, donated
to Armenia by US-based Lincy Foundation of billionaire
Kirk Kerkorian.

In total 143 buildings were built in the zone,
of which 85 are in Gyumri, the others in Spitak,
Vanadzor and other earthquake-stricken regions.
Armenian authorities say the project was among
the most successful ones implemented in the region
over the past 12 years.

﻿

According to Agnes

Inside

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